1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a feeder adapter, and more particularly to an adapter which is utilized in combination with a header for mounting the header on a feeder housing of a combine and for transferring cut crop from the header into the feeder housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional combine units contain a prime mover for driving a combine which carries a header adapted to feed crop into the combine while simultaneously threshing the grain from the crop. The combine includes a feeder housing mounted at the front, the feeder housing having a generally forward facing inlet opening and a mounting structure about the opening to which the header is attached. The feeder housing of present day combines is mounted for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal axis at an upper end thereof, and hydraulic powered cylinders are provided for pivoting the lower end of the feeder housing forwardly and upwardly so as to raise the header which is attached to it. The header may be of a type for picking up swathed crops or it may include a sickle bar for cutting the crop and transferring it directly to the inlet opening of the combine.
The different makes of combines from various manufacturers, as well as different sizes and models of combines of the same manufacturer, have feeder housings with different sizes and shapes of inlet openings as well as different types of attachment arrangements for connecting the header to the combine. Manufacturers, including manufacturers other than those which produce the combines, have developed types of headers for use on different makes of combines having various features which are desirable to combine owners.
As Canadian Patent No. 426,128, T. Carroll, granted Mar. 13, 1945, shows some makes of combine headers have used for considerable time in the past an auger type system for delivering cut crop from behind the sickle bar to an opening in the rear panel of the header for feeding into the inlet opening of the feeder housing of the combine. Other designs effectively utilize draper systems, which usually include two long transversely extending main drapers for feeding the cut crop in directions from opposite ends of the header to a short central rearward feeding draper, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,553, H. Herndon, granted Mar. 9, 1954. The rearward feeding draper has been conventionally disposed to move the crop, which is delivered to it from the two transverse drapers, and also directly from the sickle bar in front of it, through an opening in the rear panel of the header and thus into the inlet of the combine feeder housing. As it was found that the rearward feed draper was not on its own capable of feeding and controlling the volume of crop delivered to it, particularly for headers of considerable width, there are headers in use which are provided with feeder apparatus including means with an additional rotating member having fingers or paddle members and being mounted above the rear end of the rearwardly feeding draper. Such an arrangement was used, for example, in a combine header sold in the early 1980's under the trademark CROP HAWK. Another example is shown in the above identified Herndon patent and also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,956,966 and 5,005,343, both of Roger L. Patterson, granted Apr. 9, 1991 to MacDon Industries Ltd. Such additional feed mechanism confines the crop on the rearward feed draper and assists in feeding the crop into the inlet opening of the feeder housing of the combine.
The draper type headers had been utilized extensively in swather headers, but were found to have a number of disadvantages when utilized in combine headers. Wide headers are, of course, desirable to enable efficient and quick harvesting of grain, and even with the provision of the additional feeder assembly member above the rear end of the rearwardly feeder draper, such a design has not been found capable of handling heavy crops without buildups and jamming in front of the inlet to the feeder housing. It is known that because of the nature of the chain type conveyer in the feed housing of conventional combines, the crop has to be fed forcibly into the inlet of the combine feeder housing for the conveyer in the feeder housing to quickly carry it upwardly away from the inlet. In an attempt to quickly feed the crop to the inlet opening, it has been customary to drive the rearward feed draper at relatively high speeds. This has not fully overcome, however, the jamming problem. Moreover, particularly when the crop is of the bushy type, such as peas and beans, the existence of the additional feeder member in front of the rear panel of the header actually hinders the flow of the cut crop and causes the crop to hang-up, this in turn usually resulting in a complete jamming at the feeder housing inlet.
Moreover, in order that the header can be used in conjunction with a number of different combines, the header must be supplied with appropriate connection means for the feeder housing of any specific combine, and because the inlet openings of different combines have different widths, headers must be designed for each width, requiring significant design differences with respect to the width of rearward feed drapers, as well as the spacings between the inner ends of the transverse drapers and possibly in relation to the additional feeder assembly above the rear end of the rearwardly feed draper.